Manufacture of supports



April 2, 1940: w. REUM Er Ax. 2,195,632

MANUFACTURE 0F SUPPORTS A.

Filed July 30', 1937 2 Shee-tS-Sheet 2 INVENTORS M//L L IAM Re UM BY L AWRI/vc5 HIL/AMM. TON

m 00W XTTORNEYS Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE MANUFACTURE or snrroa'rs Application July 30, 1937, Serial No. 156,435

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of tapes and more particularly of resilient reinforced rubber tapes.

An object of the invention is to provide a tape which is resiliently yieldable in tension, compression and bending, which is durable, strong, water-proof, and light in weight. Another object is to provide for economical manufacture of a tape of this character.

The tape may be made up of spring steel wires combined to give an open-mesh resilient structure and according to an important feature of the invention rubber latex or other material (preferably bonded to the wires as by vulcanization thereto) bridges across themeshes of the tape to form an impervious structure and ccntributes to the resiliency of the completed tape.

Other features of the invention relate to the arrangement of the wires and to the manner of bonding the rubber material thereto.

The above and otherv objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of the wire-rubber tape, with the rubber material removed from one end thereof to show the arrangement of the wires;

Figure 2 is a section through the part of the tape of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through a chair having its seat formed of a cushion supported by a number of our novel tapes;

Figure 4 is a 1plan view of the seat of the chair of Figure 3, being in horizontal section on the line I-4 of Figure 3, and with the seat cushion partly broken away to show the arrangement of the tapes;

Figure 5 is a vertical section through another chair having its seatcushion resting on coil springs carried by our novel tapes;

Figure 6 is a section similar to Figure 2 of another form of tape; and

Figure 7 is a partial section through an automobile door illustrating another use of the invention.

The support I0 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a tape of spring steel wires I2, combined in an open-mesh structure which is yieldingly resilient, preferably by braiding the wires together by carrying them diagonally back and forth across the braid and over and under each other. As each wire reaches the edge of the braid, it is bent back on itself sharply across the braid again at an angle. These bent portions of the wires in effect form a multitude of small springs in the plane of the braid, which resiliently resist elongation or stretching or compressing of the braid.

Associated with the wires I2 is a lm or coat- 5 ing I4 of rubber latex, or other rubber material, bridging across the meshes in the wire` tape, and additionally yieldingly resisting stretching or elongation of the support.

Preferably the rubber is bonded to the wires, 10 as by being vulcanized thereto. For example, the wires may be treated by coating them (by hotdipping) with zinc, following which a thin coating of copper is electro-deposited thereon to alloy with the surface zone of the zinc, to provide 15 the wire with a brass coating to which the rubber can be eifectively bonded by vulcanization. However, one of the usual primers can be used on the wires to secure an effective bond. v

The rubber latex may be pre-vulcanized, then 20 dissolved in a solvent, as for example in a solution of ammonium hydroxide, then applied to the wire tape by passing the latter through a bath of the rubber latex solution, and then the solvent driven oif by evaporation. However, the 25 latex material could be vulcanized in place on the wire tape.

Figures 3 and 4 show a chair having a back I8, legs 20, and a seat. The seat is shown as including a peripheral frame 22, across the top 30 of which are secured by suitable fastenings (such as tacks) a plurality of the supports I0 described above, interwoven to form a resilient spring base supporting a seat cushion 2l.

In Figure 5 the supports I0 are secured across 35 the bottom of the frame 22, and a set of coil springs 26 resting thereon serves to support the seat cushion 2|.

'I'he supports I0, being yieldingly resilient lengthwise, provide light but strong springmeans 40 yieldingly supporting the seat cushion, either directly or through the coil springs 26.

Figure 6 illustrates a modified form of tape which is similar to that shown in Figures l and 2 except that the rubber coating is applied in a 45 different manner. This form includes a tape or braid 28 of steel wire which may be identical with the tape I2 of Figure l and which may be treated in the same manner to cause the rubber to adhere thereto. A rubber coating 30 covers 50 the braid 28 and is of suilicient thickness to provide a smooth outer surface.

One desirable method of applying the coating 30 is by the lead bath process in which uncured4 rubber is laid around the braid 28 and the cov- 55 ered braid is run through a bath of molten lead. 'I'he heat of the lead cures the rubber in place and provides a smooth outer surface thereon, any lead which adheres tothe rubber being stripped 01T after cooling.

The tape of Figure 6 may be used advantageously as a combined sealing strip and drip trough around an automobile door as illustrated in Figure 7. This gure shows a partial section of an automobile having a top 32 rigid with the frame and a door 34 movable toward and away from the top as it is opened and closed. The door 34 may vinclude a sliding glass 36 and has an upstandng flange 38 at its top outer edge. For use with a door of this type the tape is bent into a channel shape Aas shown at 40 in Figure 'I and is placed across the top of the door with one of its edges lying against and secured to the `flange 38 by cement, suitable 4clips or the like.

When the door is closed the free edge of the channel engages the top 32 and forms a seal therewith which is both air and water tight. Since the tape is resilient it may be squeezed tightly between the flange 38 and top 32 to insure a tight seal. i

While two embodiments and two uses of the invention have been shown and described it will be apparent that changes might be made therein and that many other uses might be devised. It is accordingly not intended that the scope of the invention shall be limited to the forms shown or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A. resilient structure comprising an open mesh elongated tape of spring steel wires braided together with each wire extending substantially the full length of the tape diagonally back and forth across the tape and passing over and under the other wires and bent sharply back across the tape at an angle each time it reaches the edge of the tape, the portions so bent forming in effect a large number of small springs in the plane of the tape, and rubber latex material bridging said 

